Active network systems are often implemented to enable networked elements which are part of the active network to respond to perceived security threats.
While the networked elements may communicate with one another to determine rudimentary information such as general operating status, the devices coupled to the networked elements, such as consumer goods, for example, may be the target of theft, replacement by a forgery, and/or unauthorized use. Such malicious acts may go unnoticed in a standard networked system, since the network is not capable of determining the difference between a missing or unauthorized device and a device which is powered off or temporarily disconnected from the network.
Furthermore, networked devices may be left for long periods of time in an unsecure environment, such as in a warehouse or a shipping container. Because of this, these devices are susceptible to theft whereby the physical outer packaging of the device is left intact. At a glance, the packaging of the device may appear to be secure, but the packaging could in actuality be empty or the original device replaced with a counterfeit device. In such a situation, long periods of time may elapse whereby the integrity of the original devices is unknown. Due to the fact that the devices are not actively monitored, the owner or manufacturer of the devices may not realize that the devices have been stolen, replaced, or removed from the network, until long after the devices have already been removed.
What is needed, therefore, is a network architecture which may verify the integrity of the networked devices by monitoring a log of communication between the devices, dynamically changing the properties of the network if network integrity is compromised, and alerting the other devices and/or the owner of the devices to a loss of integrity of any device.
The disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the reference number.